Zurich, Switzerland - Day 17

Saturday, September 8, 2018

We are so lucky to have another gorgeous day.

Today is Chocolate Day! We met our group of 11 at Paradeplatz Square at 11 for a 2-hour tour -- only $30. We arrived early and took a walk along Bahnhofstrasse. We were blown away by the number of really expensive shops, and no empty storefront in sight. Guess there is a lot of money here. We did learn that Zurich is a major hub of international banking, due to its long-term economic and political stability. But for a city with only 380,000 people (1.4 million in the greater area), there are a lot of elite shops!

Our tour guide was delightful - of Vietnamese descent who ended up in  Switzerland when his father was transferred here. He had lots of fun tidbits to share about the city, the architecture and the history.

First, why is Switzerland known for chocolate? In 1819, Francois-Louis Cailler mechanized chocolate production in a plant near Geneva. The Swiss also invented milk chocolate in 1875,  and, in 1879, Rodolphe Lindt invented "conching," the process that makes solid chocolate smooth. (The early process included hours and hours of constant stirring -- discovered when a worker accidentally left a machine on over the weekend.)

At the Paradeplatz, where we met, was our first stop Sprüngli, Zurich's top cafe for the past century. We had their famous "Luxemburgerli" macarons - little cream-filled, one-inch macaron-meringue hamburgers -- in 3 flavors -- pistachio, tiramisu and chocolate. It melted in our mouths. The colorful rounds are featured behind the clerk in this photo.

The store was beautiful with lots of goodies.

Next we walked by Fraumünster Church, which was founded along with a convent in 853. The current building is on the original site and dates to 1250. We will come back to this later, but now we just walked by it and saw a wedding reception in the courtyard. The city hall is next door (to left in this photo) and couples are required to have a civil ceremony there, regardless of whether they have one at church.

This means two dresses, two receptions, etc., you get the picture.

Our next stop was Teuscher's, another beautiful store and the creator of champagne truffles in 1932. 

Our guide picked up two flavors each (dark and light) and they were delicious. 

He then took us to Lindenhof, a paved park with Linden trees that was once a fort situated on a small hill in the old town. From here we had great views of the city and Limmat River.  

There is a statue commemorating the local women who cleverly defended the town in 1292. 

Their men were away fighting another battle when the Habsburgs circled the city. The women put on armor and made a lot of noise, tricking the invaders into thinking the city was ready to attack. We saw a painting on a wall also recognizing the women. Women have a good history here because they ruled the city until the 1200s when the guilds came into power. And yet...Swiss women did not get the right to vote until 1971.

Another interesting fact about Switzerland as told by our guide: ever wonder why the Swiss flag is the reverse of the Red Cross flag? Because the Red Cross was started by a Swiss man in the 1850s. When they were looking for a logo, the reverse just worked.

We also walked passed a boot cleaner built into the old foundation -- primarily to remove horse droppings in the old days.

Then we crossed the river into the Niederdorf neighborhood, passing quaint shops and cafes. One interesting place was called "Äss-Bar" which means edible in German. "Frisch von gestern" means "fresh from yesterday," and their motto is "no waste, great taste." 

They collect fresh food that is not sold on one day (mostly baked goods) and sell it the next at reduced cost.

Our final tasting was at Max Chocolate, which was started by a wealthy entrepreneur for his son, Max, who has Down Syndrome and loves chocolate. We did some small tastings here of various pieces and had a short presentation about the cocoa bean plant. 

The emphasis on their chocolate is on a darker variety because the founder thought Swiss chocolate was too milky and too sweet. (My sentiments, too.) 

We ended at the Grossmünster Church, also known as the "big cathedral." 

The Romanesque style Protestant church was originally Catholic, built in 1220. The twin towers were built in the 1400s and are still the most recognizable symbol of Zurich. The church was the scene of much of the Protestant reformation in the 1500s.

There were also some lovely views from this church of the Fraumünster on left and St. Peter's on right.

Now we were ready for lunch and headed to Restaurant Schipfe 16, situated right on the river. It is recommended in Rick Steves' book and is part of a city-run organization that provides work for hard-to-employ people. Service was a little sketchy, but the food was simple and delicious - the best potato-leek soup ever. Most restaurants in Zurich have only one menu -- and dinner is what you have to order for lunch.

Then we went back to the Fraumünster Church to tour the inside and see the 30-ft. tall stained glass windows by Marc Chagall (1887-1985), the Russian-born French artist. (Three are on the back here and one on each side.)

When Zurich hosted a Chagall exhibit in 1967, the church pastor was so impressed that he asked the world-famous artist to design the windows. To his surprise, the 80-year-old Chagall accepted, but would not set a price. He worked on them 3 years and then presented them. As the story was told by our guide, Chagall only charged the church 150 Swiss francs. The five windows depict Bible Scenes, with the central image of the crucified Christ. Amazingly, 8 years later, in 1978 at age 90, Chagall produced a rose window for the church.

Then Ed went back to the hotel to pack and I walked up the hill to the University. A good workout but the views were mediocre.

Tonight we had dinner at a lovely little place called Rosaly's recommended by our hotel clerk. It was in an alley, but at night, with the help of an awning and furniture, the alley becomes an enchanting patio. The food was delicious, especially the veal cordon bleu, and a great way to end our European adventure. Home tomorrow!

Good-by to the beautiful Opera House. Our hotel is behind it to the right with a flag on top. Then our hotel, with our balcony above the word "Ambassador."

And a view from the top of the hotel of Lake Zurich.

Zurich - Day 16

Friday, September 7, 2018

After so much moving around, we decided to relax, and we did not leave the hotel until 11. We enjoyed our lovely balcony overlooking the Opera House.

We had the friendly receptionist teach us how to use the public trams which ended up being the best deal of the day -- unlimited rides for 24-hours for $8.50.

As we were riding the tram, I caught a few shots - one of St. Peter's Church with Europe's largest clock face on a tower 

and Lindenhof, a former fort now park which we will visit tomorrow.

We took the tram to a bus depot near the train station to check out plans for our tour today. All was well so we grabbed a quick lunch of goulash soup at nearby St. Gallerhof's. A little spicy so we finished it off with ice cream at the station. We ended up being the first in line for our afternoon tour, which meant a front row seat. There were four parts to it for only $58.

First we took a panoramic tour around the town (on streets that could handle a bus), seeing some of the business districts, including Google European headquarters which employs 5,000 people. Then we stopped at a beautiful spot along Lake Zurich. 

Afterwards we were dropped off for a leisurely stroll around Old Town (Alstadt) to see the quaint houses and churches. 

We saw the old town square where the guild halls once were located and enjoyed other views of the city along the Limmat River.

The we reboarded our coach for a scenic journey along the lake, looking at the multi-million dollar houses that line the shoreline, and ended up at Meilen. Our bus boarded a ferry to cross the lake. We could have gotten off, but it started to rain. We've had enough boating so it was fine.

The highlight of the day was taking a cable car in Adliswil up 2,630 feet to the little enclave of Felseness with great views of the lake with Zurich in the distance. Amazingly, the rain stopped and skies cleared with perfect views.

We returned about 5:30 and, after a brief respite, headed out to dinner.

You can't go to Switzerland without having fondue and we found the perfect place - Le Dézaley. We both had a salad and split the cheese fondue. 

It was better than I remembered. A lovely evening in Zurich.

Lucerne, Switzerland - Day 15

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Lucerne is such a beautiful city that I decided to explore it on my own this morning.

Armed with Rick Steves' guide and map of the old town, I started at the Bahnhofplatz, between the train station and the lake, then headed left to the Chapel Bridge (behind me).

The bridge was built in the first half of the 14th century at an angle, to connect the town's medieval fortifications. The octagonal stone Water Tower (left of me) was built around 1300.

Next was the Jesuit Church, built in the mid 1600s.

The Reuss River Weir System - the river flows out of the Lake, which is fed by glaciers. This dam which was built in the mid 19th century, controls the water levels to prevent flooding and to accommodate boats on the lake.

I crossed the Mill Bridge - so called because there were once 3 mills at the end of the bridge. Today there is a modern hydroelectric plant underwater here.

Muhlenplatz - a square marking the entrance to old town, as one crosses the Mill Bridge.

Weinmarket - another square that served as a marketplace for wine. The big mural on the building is a depiction of the Wedding Feast at Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine.

Nearby is the Hotel des Balances, with an interesting facade.

Hirschenplatz - well-preserved square which once featured hotels, jewelers, and other shops.

Then I took a side street and climbed up to the Musegg Wall, the old town wall built in the 1300s. 

The views from here were not as good as one might expect but you can see the lake.

Sternenplatz - a tiny square dominated by the Restaurant Fritschi, with paintings featuring symbols from the city's annual Mardi Gras celebration called Fasnacht.

This walk made a circle back to the Chapel Bridge.

I picked up Ed and we went back to the river front where we were last night and had lunch at a lovely outdoor cafe called La Terazza. Then we repeated some of my steps around the old town and just enjoyed the ambiance

and another view of the old town.

But perhaps the highlight of the day came at the end. About a 10-minute walk from Chapel Bridge was a section of town known as Lowenplatz. Here we saw the famous Lion Monument, a huge sculpture, 33 feet long by 20 feet high, carved into a sandstone cliff face over a reflecting pool in a peaceful park. 

The lion rests his paws on a shield, with his head down and tears in his cheek. A broken spear shows he is slowly dying. Sculpted in 1820, the figure represents the Swiss Guard (mercenaries) who were killed defending the French king during the French Revolution.

We made it back to the hotel by 3 and caught a 3:35 train to Zurich. We checked into the Hotel Ambassador L'Opera, which was a block from the lake and overlooking the grand opera house. We had an incredible room with a balcony overlooking the street. Think there is something to be said about booking rooms yourself. I asked for a balcony and got one - no extra charge. 

After taking a breather, we walked around a little and ended up eating dinner at "Opera," the restaurant at the hotel. It was quiet and delightful and the whitefish and veal were delicious.

Lucerne, Switzerland- Day 14

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Since we arrived in Basel, Switzerland, last night, we were able to disembark the boat early.

We left the boat at 9 am and took a 20 minute cab ride to the train station. Since we already had our tickets, it was easy to find our 10:00 train to Lucerne, with enough time for a cappuccino before boarding.

We arrived around 11 and were pleasantly surprised that our room at the Renaissance Hotel was ready. Great room overlooking the street and only 2 blocks from the station.

We took a deep breath and headed out to catch our 1:00 tour of the Lake Lucerne area which I had booked through Viator. We picked up sandwiches and ate them on the dock.

We had a perfect day for our "Independent Mt. Rigi Tour." First we boarded an old paddle wheel steamer, one of five that plies the lake, and sat in the top deck. 

Viewing the homes, resorts, and villages along the lake was a real treat. 

As the boat approached Mt. Rigi, you could also see mountain ranges in the distance. 

You can see Mt. Rigi because there is a tower on top (peak on left).

After about an hour, our boat landed at Vitznau. Right near the boat dock we boarded a very crowded cog wheel train that chugged its way up to the 5,859 ft. summit in about 30 minutes. We were surprised that it stops along the way to pick up or drop off people at mountain resorts. Didn't see any other way to get there.

When we arrived at the top, we were treated to spectacular views. Can't believe what a clear day we had. We took photos on one side where we had mountain views. 

On the other are views of Lake Lucerne, which is huge, and the many villages and cities that dot the coast line. 

You can't really see Lucerne from the summit. It is at the far end of the right arm of the Lake in this photo.

I did walk to the tower but did not walk up (one can). 

The views were pretty much the same, although you could see the back side of the mountain. 

We stayed for about an hour and had ice cream, although there is a hotel and a restaurant on top. Must be difficult to get supplies there.

Then we took the cog wheel train down 3 stops where we got off and caught a cable car the rest of the way down the mountain. 

It ended up in Weggis where we caught a similar boat back to Lucerne and caught some more views of the shoreline.

Tonight we walked to the old town and had dinner at Taube Restaurant (yellow awning on left in photo below) and were seated along the Reuss River. To control the flow of the river, there is a small dam which makes the sound of a waterfall. Very lovely. We split a pork schnitzel because the portions here are huge. Lovely walk back along the river to our hotel.